Caging apparatus



June 3, 1924. 4 1,496,006

l D. F. LEFLEY CAGING APPARATUS l Fyiled Ot. 22, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet l .lune 3 1924.

D.F.LEPLEY CAGING APPARATUS Filed oct, 22. 1921 4 sneetssneen 2 @Hor new AJune 3, 1924.

D. F. LEPLEY CAGING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 22

1921 4 Sheets-Sheet v flttoznavd June 3*, 1924. 1,496,006

D. F. LEPLEY CAGING APPARATUSv Filed oct. 22 1921 '4 sheenssheen 4 Cal Patented June 3, 1924.

DANIEL F. LEPLEY, OF CONNELLSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAGING APPARATUS.

Application led Cctober 22, 1921. Serial No. 509,652.

T0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, DANIEL F. LiiPLnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Connellsville, in the county of Fayette and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful Caging Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. 4

This invention relates to apparatus for use in cagiiig mine cars.

Gaging apparatus such as heretofore used has been so constructed that a car entering the cage from one side would necessarily be delivered from the opposite side of the cage and, consequently, it has not been possible under some conditions to use caging apparatus. For example if it is necessary to receive a car from the right of the cage and deliver it from the same end thereof the caging apparatus has prevented sucli an operation. v

It is an object of the present invention to provide automatic caging apparatus which will operate with equal efficiency when a car is delivered thereto at either side of the cage and which will also operate to direct the caged car, when released, away from the cage at either side.

A further object is to improve upon the structure shown, for example, in Patent No. 1,235,210 issued to me on July'l, 1917 whereby, by certain modifications and additions the mechanism employed in said patented structure can be utilized for the purposes hereinafter explained.

Vith theforegoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a portion of ai cage having the present improvements combined therewith and showing the positions of the parts when theempty cage is approaching its loading position.

' Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the horns engaged with they car wheels. Y

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1. f

Figure Ll is a view vpartly in section and partly in elevation of a portion of the mechanisni. f

Figure 5 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure 3. p

'Figure 6 is a section online 6 -6, Figure 1.

`Figure 7 is a view showing inA diagram the arrangement of tracks whereby cages can be loaded and vunloaded at either side.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a portion of acage structure having a platform 2 on which are mounted the Arails Bearings 4r. are 'connected to the cage and. journaled within them are parallel shafts 5 to each of which is fastened in any suitable manner a pair of op ositely disposed horns 6 adapted to exten( upwardlyl close to the rails and provided with recesses 7 so that Vwhen the horns are in active o r upstanding positions the wheels of a car mounted on the cage will be located between the horns and project into the respective recesses. 1n other words one horn of each pair-will hold the car against movement in one direction while the other horn of each pair will hold the car against movement in the opposite direc-tion. The car wheels have been indicated by dotted lines at 1V in Figure 2.

A. longitudinal shaft 8 is journaled in the cage below the platform 2 and between and slightly below the shafts 5. This shaft 8 is provided at one end with oppositely extending arms 9 connected by links 10 to cranK arms 11 extending from the adjacent ends of the shafts 5. Another crankarm 12 is extended radially from the shaft 8. and has a rod 13 pivotally connected tov it and slidable within a stop plate 111 under. the plat-` form 1, A spring 15 is mounted on the rod and bears at one end against the plate while its other end thrusts against an enlargement 16 at the pivot end ofthe rod so that the horns 6 are thus pressed normally against thel sides of the rails 3 soas to engage tlie wheels of a car on the rails. These normal positions of the parts have been shown in Figure 2.

`Extending radially from the other end of .the shaft 8 is a finger 17 and located below and in the path of this linger is an operating arm 18 mounted to swing with a shaft 19 j ournaled below and adjacent one side ofthe path of movement of the cage. A releasing finger 20 extends from and moves with the shaft 19 and a weighted arm 21, extending from said shaft, serves normally to hold the arm 18 projected inwardly so that when the cage descends the linger 17 will move onto the end of the arm 18 and cause the shaft 8 to rotate against the action of the spring 15 and at the same time cause the arms 9 and thelinks 10 to 4swing the horns 6 laterally away from the rails 3. Supported under the platform 2 are transverse shafts 22 and 23 on which swing upwardly extending levers 24 and 25 connected at their upper ends by an angle strip 2G pivoted thereto. vrlhis strip is supported where it will be struck by the front wheel of a car traveling along the rails 3 and will be held. down out of normal position by the car wheels. The shaft 22 does not rotate normally with the lever 24 but secured to this shaft isa depending weight 27 having laterally extending spaced ears 28 between which extends a nger 29 projecting downwardly from the vlever 24. A bolt 39 connects the ears 28 and is slidably engaged by the linger 29 and mounted on this bolt between the linger and each of the ears 28 is a rubber cushion 31.

Secured to the shaft'22 are upwardly diverging arms 32 and 33 having antifriction rollers 34 at their free ends, A lever 35 is fulcrumed as at 36 and has one arm normally overhanging the arms 32 and 33 and provided with a V-shaped extension or cam 37 projecting between the rollers 34. The freer end of the lever remote from` the cam 37 has a side bracket 38 on which is pivotally mounted a. latch 39 having an arm 40 which is extended over and downwardly below the lever 35 as shown in Figure 3. This latch overhangs a nose or projection 41 on a lever 42 which is fulcrumed on a bracket 43 carried by the cage and the lower end of the lever has a releasing bolt 44 pivotally connected thereto and adapted to move against the finger 20.

Under normal "conditions the horns G are pressed inwardly against the sides of the rails and the levers 24 and 25 are extended upwardly. When the cage approaches the lower level where a car is to be taken on from one side or the other thereof the finger 17 comes against the top of the arm 18 with the result that the shaft 8 is rotated and the horns 6 are swung laterally away from the rails as heretofore explained. A car is then permitted to travel onto the cage and one of the front wheels thereof will strike the strip 26 and swing it forwardly and downwardly. This movement will be completed approximately at the time that the wheels of the car arrive between the horns 6. At that time the arm 24 has swung its linger 29 against one of the cushions 31 and caused the cushion to swing the weight 27 out of its normal position. As the weight is secured to shaft 22 said shaft will rotate and will cause the roller 34 on one of the arms 32 and 33 to swing against the adjacent inclined face of cam 37 and thus swing said cam upwardly and move the opposite arm of the lever 35 downwardly. Consequently the latch 39 will press downwardly on the nose 41 and swing the lever 42 outwardly so that bolts 44 will press against linger 20 and push the. arm 18 from under linger 17. Finger 17 being released will swing downwardly under the action of the compressed spring 15 and this spring will, at the saine time, swing the horns inwardly so that they will assume positions in front of and back of the wheels on the car. As the latch 39 moves downwardly and the nose 41 swings outwardly said latch will ultimately slip past the nose. The parts will be held in the positions described until thc cage again reaches the low level where the empty car is to be delivered and a loaded car is to be brought to position on the cage. Then the cage approaches the lower level thehorns 6 will be swung laterally as heretofore described and thus release the empty car. A lilled car approaching the cage from either side will come against the empty car and push it off of the cage. As the empty car passes off of the strip 26 the levers 24 and 25 will swing upwardly under the action of the weight27 and the latch 39 will snap upwardly past the nose 41. As soon as the loaded car reaches the strip 26 one of'its front wheels will swing said strip downwardly whereupon the action heretofore described will be repeated.

Obviously by providing a mechanism such as described a loaded car can rbe directed onto the cage from either side, the strip 26 swinging downwardly either to the right or to the left, according to the. direction from which the car is approaching. Likewise an empty car can be delivered from either side of the cage.

What is claimed 1. The combination with a cage, spaced horns movably mounted thereon, and yielding means for holding the horns normally in position to extend in front and in back of the front and rear wheels respectively of a car on the cage, means operated by the movement of the cage to the point of loading and unloading for shifting the horns out of car engaging positions, and means operated by a car moving onto the cage from either side for releasing the horns to restore them to normal or car engaging positions.

2. The combination with a cage, of spaced horns, yielding means for holding the horns normally in position in front of and back of the front and back wheels respectively of a car on the cage, tripping means in the path of the cage, means carried by the cage for engaging the tripping means when the cage arrives at the point of loading and unloading, for shifting the horns out of normal position to release the engaged car, and means operated by a car moving onto the cage from either side for actuating the tripping means to release the horns.

3. The combination with a cage, of spaced horns for receiving the wheels of a car therebetween, yielding means for holding the horns normally in wheel engaging positions, tripping means in the path of the cage, means actuating by the tripping means when the cage reaches the point of loading and unloading, for shifting the horns out of wheel engaging positions and holding them in such positions, a member movably connected to the cage and shiftable by a car movable onto the cage from either side', and cushioned means operated by said member for actuating the tripping means to release the held horns. v

4. The combination with a cage, of spaced horns thereon for receiving the wheels of a car therebetween, yielding means for holding the hornsnormally in wheel engaging positions, means operated by the movement of the cage to loading and unloading position for shifting the horns out of wheel engaging positions and holding them, a member movably connected to the cage for actuation bya car entering the cage from either side, and shock absorbing means operated by said member for releasing the held horns to engage the wheels of the car actuating the member.

5. The combination with a cage, of spaced horns for receiving the wheels of a car therebetween, yielding means for holding the horns normally in wheel engaging positions, tripping means, means operated by the movement of the cage to loading and unloading position for engagement with the tripping means to move the horns out of wheel engaging positions and hold them against return movement, a movable member in the path of and adapted to be actuated by the wheel of a car movable onto the cage from either direction, a shaft, a weight depending therefrom, shock absorbing means for 4transmitting motion to the weight and shaft from the car wheel operated member, spaced antifriction devices movable with the shaft, a lever, a cam at one end of the lever projecting between and adapted to be shifted by either of the antifriction devices, a latch carried by the lever, and means operated by the latch for shifting the tripping means out of holding position to release the horns into engagement with the wheels of the car on the cage.

6. The combination with a cage, horns for receiving car wheels therebetween, tripping means and means operated by the tripping means for holding the horns out of wheel engaging positions, of upstanding arms, a connection therebetween adapted to be engaged and depressed by a wheel of a car entering the cage from either side, a shaft, diverging arms movable with the shaft, a weight movable with the shaft for holding the arms normally in a predetermined position, cushioning means for transmitting motion to the weight, shaft and arms from one of the car operated arms, a lever, a cam on one arm of the lever projecting between and adapted to be shifted by either of the diverging arms, and means actuated by said lever for shifting the tripping means out of holding position.

'7. The combination with a cage for hoisting and lowering cars alternately received and discharged from opposite ends, car supporting rails fixedly mounted thereon, and

means for holding cars upon the cage, of cooperating means upon and adjacent to the `cage for automatically shifting the holding means to release a car from the cage, and means upon the cage for automatically resetting the car holding means to lock a car when received on the cage from either end.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afliXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL F. LEPLEY.

Witnesses HERBERT D. LAwsoN, C. M. DAVIDSON. 

